Eight Hundred and Seventy-Two: The Inexplicably Excited Veteran (1/5)

Draymond Green, a second-round pick in 2012. In college, he demonstrated his all-around skills to the fullest.

In his junior season, Green recorded the 11th triple-double in NCAA tournament history. In his senior season, he became the third player after Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson to record two triple-doubles in the NCAA tournament.

He was selected to the All-American team along with top talented players such as Anthony Davis. However, due to his inconsistent play style and his excessive age, Green's draft prospects were favored.

Green's height measured at the draft combine was only 1.98 meters, and most teams lack confidence in him using his height to serve as an NBA insider.

He lacks the height required for an inside post and does not have the speed of an NBA-level small forward, making transition difficult.

As a result, Green may not even be able to find a truly suitable position in the NBA.

And even in college, Green often lost against elite players. This proves that he is not the best choice as an immediate combat power.

It can be said that no one ever thought that such a guy could succeed in the NBA.

Until this summer, the arrival of Steve Kerr changed the fate of this second-round pick.

In fact, at the beginning of the Warriors' coaching staff overhaul, Green was quite panicked.

He had just gained Mark Jackson's trust with great difficulty, and he didn't know if the new coach would also value him so highly.

After all, he was a meager second-round pick.

Fortunately, Cole quickly talked to Green and made no secret of his love for Green. In Cole's mind, Green is the key to winning the championship with that forward lineup.

So Green spent a summer of hard training.

He continues to improve his ability to protect the rim and try to hit more three-pointers.

His efforts have paid off this new season. Starter, 30 points, double-double, all-around... All kinds of praises were used on this once inconspicuous little role.

Cole even personally informed David Lee of something a few days ago, "Obviously, our current lineup is very effective, because three-pointers are becoming more and more important in the league, and powerful power forwards who are proficient in low-post singles are more and more important." There are fewer and fewer coming, this is a smaller and faster alliance, and we need to be ahead of the times.

"

To put it bluntly, he told David Lee, "Even if you return from injury, the starting position will still belong to Green."

Kerr decided to abandon two-time All-Star No. 4 David Lee and choose Green. This was a very bold move, and Green was very grateful.

He once publicly stated in a media interview, "What Coach Cole cares about most is winning. This has nothing to do with data or reputation. As long as he wins."

Therefore, Green also hopes to use his performance to repay Cole's trust. The two sides fell into a virtuous cycle. Cole used Green to create his ideal play style and lineup, while Green rewarded Cole with his passionate performance.

Cole did not restrain Green's excessive passion, and even supported it very much.

"We are a quiet team, but Green gave the team a new breakthrough. We need reckless people like him."

Kerr has never been shy about talking about his love for Green in public, and even if most people disagree, Kerr is still very willing to praise his players.

The mutual trust between these two guys allows the Warriors to play their own style.

Indeed, the core of the Warriors is Curry and Thompson. But Green is like a hub, connecting these two top attackers together.

He is not the most dazzling, but he is definitely very important to the Warriors.

As a result, the Warriors won 16 consecutive victories and got off to a terrible start of 20 wins and 3 losses. The Grizzlies, ranked second in the Western Conference, have two fewer wins than the Warriors!

Now, this fearsome warrior has finally extended their "devil's claws" into the territory of the defending champion.

And Draymond Green, an important hub, finally met the enemy he wanted to "kill" most.

"Have we ever thought before, can we get out of here alive?" Green looked at FedEx Arena through the glass of the team bus and muttered to himself.

"Before? In the past, we were always a little bit closer to victory." Curry, sitting next to Green, smiled slightly. Strictly speaking, the Warriors were not just a little bit closer to the Grizzlies.

In all the games between the two sides last season, the Warriors were never able to close the point difference to single digits.

"Haha, but it's different now. We'll give those high-flying guys a taste of our power and let them know that we are no longer who we used to be." Green stared at the huge poster of Link outside the arena and tightened his grip. fist.

Today, he will definitely spread his passion to the audience!

※※※

From the beginning of this season to now, the Grizzlies players have never been so nervous.

The Golden State Warriors are arguably the most powerful opponent the Grizzlies have faced this season.

16 consecutive victories, this is not a result that can be achieved casually. This long winning streak just illustrates the Warriors' rapidly growing strength.

Therefore, before the game started, the atmosphere in the locker room was very serious. Even Tony Allen and Whiteside, who usually like to joke around, were unexpectedly quiet today.

"In this game, we need to attack the Warriors inside more. At the same time, block their shots from outside the three-point line. The Warriors are a balanced offensive and defensive team, but don't be blinded by their short inside height. Then The defense of these guys is pretty good. So, you have to be more careful when attacking the basket."

Dave Joerger emphasized the important things to note in this game over and over again. It had been a long time since he was so concerned about a certain game.

Most of the time, the Grizzlies take care of their opponents with ease. But the Golden State Warriors, I have to say, this is an exception.

As soon as Link changed his shoes, he saw old Carter standing up and getting ready to go to the court to warm up.

Old Carter is more active today than ever before. As a veteran who comes off the bench, it stands to reason that he is not the protagonist today.

But Carter was so well prepared for the game, it was as if he was the Grizzlies' star player.

Carter has neither had any conflicts with Warriors players nor had anything to do with the Warriors. This game shouldn't have any special meaning to him.

But Carter is so full of energy that he is ready for a big fight, so you can't tell that he is a veteran who is nearly forty years old.

"Link, come with me to warm up."

Just as Link was thinking about it, Carter walked up to him.

"Okay, let's go find out how it feels." Link readily agreed to Carter's invitation, and the two of them walked out of the locker room first.

When Carter and Link stepped onto the court, many fans were already there. Although it is still a long time before the game starts, the fans seem to be hungry.

This is the battle they have been waiting for!

"It's going to be lively tonight." Carter looked around and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"You seem excited?"

"Of course, this is a decisive battle between the first in the Western Conference and the second in the Western Conference. We are facing a team that just won 16 consecutive victories. They are very strong, indeed very strong." Carter said, looking at The championship banner on the dome of the Eyeball Arena.

"In other words, they are likely to be our biggest obstacle to reaching the finals this season. Just like the outside world has hyped, this is a preview of the Western Conference finals." After speaking, Carter shot the basketball in his hand, and the basketball obeyed. crashed into the net.

As one of the top four shooting guards in the past, Carter may be the least conspicuous among them in terms of hard honors.

He longs for championships and fights. After his Nets career ended, Carter joined the Magic, which had just played in the Finals, eager to help the team win a championship ring.

As a result, the Magic were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals the next year and were not even qualified to compete for a ring. After that, the distance to the finals became further and further away.

Two years later, Carter joined the Dallas Mavericks, who had just won the championship, hoping to help this championship-level team achieve greater glory.

The results of it? The Dallas Mavericks became one of the worst defending champions in NBA history. They didn't even make it past the first round the next year.

Vince Carter seems to be cursed. Every championship team he joins seems to have problems of one kind or another, making it difficult to achieve greater success.

When I arrived at the Grizzlies this year, I thought everything was safe, but the curse seemed to be coming true again.

The Grizzlies suffered injuries one after another, and the Warriors suddenly emerged without warning. It seems that Carter's script will reincarnate as tragically as before.

But Carter is not a person who tends to fate. If this is his fate, then he will try his best to break it!

Defeating the Warriors and winning this preview of the Western Conference finals will give the Grizzlies a chance to reach the finals, and Carter will have the hope of embracing glory.

He didn't want to just wait to die just because he was just a veteran. He wanted to do his part to defeat the warriors! That's why Lao Ka is so excited today.

Link finally saw what Carter was thinking. The longing look in his eyes when he looked at the championship banner said everything.

Link didn't ask any more questions, and he and Carter shot from outside the three-point line one after another.

At this moment, the Warriors players also appeared.